union workers and ship-owners are meeting with a federal mediator. the walkout by 800 office clerical workers started november 27th against shipping lines and terminal owners. the office workers have been without a contract since june of 2010. they were joined on the picket lines in l.a. and long beach by dockworkers and truckers, bringing business to a standstill at those ports. shipping companies say the employees have been offered job security, along with generous wage and pension increases. workers contend their jobs are being shipped overseas. "we're not asking for money, we are asking for jobs, and most peopls are saying you are being greedy. no, that's not the whole point." the mayor of l.a. says the strike is costing the local economy billions of dollars per week. avoiding the fiscal cliff is coming down to taxes. president obama told bloomberg tv yesterday he is willing to be flexible, but there will be no deal unless republicans agree to raise income tax rates on the top 2% of wage earners in america. this week the gop offered a proposal th